Attachment for trunks.



` P. sTRAUss.

ATTAGHMBNT FOR TRUNKS.

APPLIUATION FILED 00T. 22, 1907.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

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FRANK STRAUSS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

ATTACHIMENT FOR TRUNKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Application filed October 22, 1907. Serial No. 398,637.

To all whom 'llt may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK STRAUSS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Trunks, of

which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in attachments for trunks and other portable objects whereby the transportation and handling thereof is facilitated, and it has for its object primarily to provide an attachment of this character embodying trunk handling appliances that are so mounted relatively to the trunk that normally they are invisible and are contained within the body of the trunk so that they are not liable to become broken or to form projections that are liable to catch on other objects and thereby hamper the manipulation of the trunk, but which, during the moving of the trunk through hallways and on floors, may be readily set in operative position to facilitate movement thereof upon its casters or rollers without the necessity of lifting the trunk, thereby rendering the use of separate trucks unnecessary, the present invention enabling the trunk to be stacked or stored as is customary with trunks of the usual kind, and when it is desirable to lift the trunk or handle it in ascending or descending stairways, the handles may be readily brought into operative position.

Further objects of the invention are to provide catches for retaining the handles.

normally in inoperative position and also to provide a device for automatically moving the handles toward operative position when the catches thereof'are released.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, it being understood that while the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the present instance, the invention is not necessarily so limited as changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from the essential features of the invention as pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a trunk provided with adjustable handles and casters constructed in accordance with the present invention, the protective casings at one end of the trunk being shown in section to illustrate the construction of the handles and casters and their respective catches; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the handles and supporting casters being shown in operative position; and Fig. 3 is an end view of the trunk, the handles and casters being shown in inoperative position.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

Attachments of the character described may be applied generally to objects of various kinds for the purpose of facilitating the handling thereof, and in the present embodiment of the invention, they are shown in connection with a trunk of the ordinary construction having supporting casters mounted preferably at or in proximity to the four corners thereof. These casters in the present instance are duplicates, each comprising an arm l carrying a roller or caster 2 at one end and having its opposite end journaled on a pivot pin 3 which is suitably fixed to the side of the trunk and is arranged at such a distance from the bottom thereof as to enable the roller or caster to project below the bottom of the trunk when the arm 1 is moved into a substantially vertical position, the caster when so adjusted serving to support the weight of the trunk, and when the caster carrying arm is turned into a substantially horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, the caster or roller thereon will rest above the bottom of the trunk and thereby permit the latter to have a solid support on a floor.

The casters are preferably provided with catches which serve to retain them in operative and inoperative positions respectively, those shown in the present instance, comprising levers 4 which are pivoted intermediate their ends to the supporting pins 5 which are suitably mounted in the side of the trunk, and one end of each lever is turned laterally to form a locking projection 6 which is adapted to coperate with a notched wheel or segment 7 the latter being formed as a part of the caster carrying arm l, or it may be otherwise mounted to turn therewith. In the present instance the notched wheel or segment is provided with a pair of notches 8 and 9, the notch S coperating with the locking projection of the catch when the caster is in operative position, and the notch 9 cooperating with the locking projection of the catch when the caster is in inoperative posif tion, the locking projection being normally retained in locking position by means of a spring 10 or its equivalent which acts on the catch. Each caster and its cooperating catch is preferably covered by a relatively narrow casing 11 which is secured to the side of the trunk, and each casing is provided with an opening 12 through which the finger may be inserted for the purpose of manipulating the catch to release the caster and thereby permit the latter to be adjusted as desired, but unless the catch is operated to release the caster, the latter will be positively locked either in operative or inoperative position.

In order to reinforce the casters when the latter are in operative position, it is preferable to provide each of them with a relatively xed stop 13 which is firmly attached to the side of the trunk and serves to prevent movement of the caster beyond a predetermined limit, that is to say, it coperates with the catch to retain the caster supporting arm in upright position so that the casters will possess sufficient rigidity to enable them to withstand strains incident to the movement of the trunk over rough floors or other obstacles and to prevent breakage thereof should the trunk be dropped accidentally on one of its corners.

The handles which serve to facilitate the lifting of the trunk as well as movement thereof while resting on its casters, are also mounted preferably at or in proximity to the four corners of the trunk, the handles shown in the present instance being of similar construction and each comprising a lever 14 which is mounted to swing in a vertical plane on a pivot 15 which is suitably fixed on the side of the trunk, a grip 16 being formed on the free end of the lever and is adapted to project beyond the end of the trunk to provide a grip for the hand when the handle is adjusted to operative position, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to enable the handles to withstand the weight of the trunk, each of them is preferably provided with upper and lower stops 17 and 18 which are rigidly secured to the side of the trunk, one of the stops cooperating with the upper side of the'handle, and the other stopV cooperating with the lower side thereof, the two stops being arranged on opposite sides of the pivot.

In order to retain the several handles in inoperative position when not in use, they are each provided with a catch which comprises in the present instance a lever 19 which is pivoted to the side of the trunk on an intermediately arranged pivot 20, one end of the lever being provided with a locking dog 21 which is adapted to coperate with a locking projection 22 on the handle when the latter is moved into inoperative position, the outer faces of the dog and its coperating projection being preferably beveled to enable the catch to operate automatically or have a locking engagement with the handle. rl`he opposite end of the catch is provided with a counterweight or its equivalent 25 which serves to automatically move the catch to and retain it in locking position. The movement of the handle to operative position is facilitated by the use of a spring 26 which. produces the initial movement of the handle toward operative position. This spring may be of any suitable form, but it is generally preferable to employ a helical spring as shown, the spring being attached to the stop 1S and is arranged to be compressed or set when the handle is moved into an inoperative position, and when the catch is operated to release the handle, this spring expands and moves the handle into a position that will enable it to be grasped by the hand, although normally the action of the spring is resisted by the catch. The several handles and their respective catches are also preferably protected by casings 27 which are smilar to those which protect the casters and their coperating catches, the casings for the handles being provided with openings 28 to admit the linger and thereby permit the catches for the handles to be manipulated to release or unlock them.

When the handles are not in use, they may be returned to their respective casings by pressing the ends thereof which project beyond the respective ends of the trunk in a direction downwardly and inwardly, veach handle turning about its pivot and first engaging' the spring to compress it, and the locking projection on the handle has a latching engagement with the catch, the latter thereby serving to lock the handle in an inoperative position.

A trunk provided with handles construct- .ed in accordance with the present invention,

may be manipulated with the greatest facility, as the handles may be readily adjusted so as to provide convenient handholds for the baggageman in ascending and descending stairways and for lifting the trunk in various ways, and the handles are not objectionable, nor are they liable to become broken for the reason that preparatory to stacking, the handles are concealed and protected within the casings of the trunk.

The casters enable the trunk to be moved from place to place without the necessity of carrying it, and these casters are not liable to become broken during the handling of the trunk on the cars for the reason that when not in use, they are wholly concealed and protected within the casings on the trunk.

I claim as my invention- 1. An attachment for trunks and similar objects involving a handle pivoted to swing into and out of operative positions relatively to an end wall of the trunk and means for locking the handle in one of the said positions.

2. The combination of a trunk having a pair of casings secured to the op osite sides thereof and providing spaces be Ween them and the respective sides of the trunk which spaces are open at the adjacent end of the trunk, and a pair of handles mounted in the spaces between the said casings and the respective sides of the trunk and pivoted to swing through the said openings at the end of the trunk into an operative position.

3. The combination with a trunk, of a handle pivotedy thereon for a swinging movement into and out of operative positions, and a catch having an automatic latching engagement with said handle for locking the handle in an inoperative position.

4. The combination with a trunk, of a handle pivoted to swing into and out of operative positions, a catch for retaining the handle in one of said positions, and a spring for producing an initial movement of the handle after its release.

5. The combination with a trunk, of a handle pivoted to swing into and out of 0perative positions and having a locking projection thereon, and a catch having a dog arranged to cooperate with the locking projection of the handle to retain the latter in inoperative position.

6. The combination with a trunk, of a handle comprising a lever pivoted to one side of the trunk and having a portion adapted to project beyond the trunk and serve as a grip, a relatively fixed stop arranged to cooperate with the handle and supported in operative position, and a catch arranged to coperate with the handle to retain it in inoperative position.

7 The combination with a trunk, of a handle pivotally mounted thereon and arranged to swing into and out of operative positions, a pair of relatively Xed stops adapted to cooperate with the handle when the latter is in an operative position to sustain the weight of the trunk when a lifting effort is applied to said handle, a catch arranged to cooperate with the handle to retain it in inoperative position, and a spring acting on the handle to move it toward operative position while the catch is in locking engagement therewith.

8. The combination with a trunk, of a handle movable to and from operative positions thereon, a catch for locking the handle in inoperative position, and a casing secured to the side of the trunk and concealing the handle and catch and having an opening therein to permit manipulation of the catch from the exterior of the casing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tw subscribing witnesses.

FRANK STRAUSS. Witnesses:

ARCHIE D. CLEMENTS, J. V. DEws. 

